MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 15, 2024

Luke Lessei has found a meaningful reason to prevail over Eddie Abasolo in their upcoming clash this Friday, February 16. Both men face each other in a featherweight Muay Thai bout at ONE Fight Night 19 on Prime Video. The event airs live in U.S. primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Cole Shelton - February 14, 2024

Geoff Neal is looking to cause chaos at UFC 298 and make his fight against Ian Machado Garry a wild one. Neal is set to face Garry in a rescheduled bout after the two were supposed to fight back in August. Neal was forced to pull out of their initial booking with an injury, and according to ‘Handz of Steel’ the Irishman wasn’t originally keen on rebooking the fight.

Cole Shelton - February 14, 2024

Brian Ortega has had a long road to return from the injury he sustained in his UFC Long Island main event fight in July of 2022 against Yair Rodriguez. Ortega was taking on Rodriguez in a pivotal matchup for the featherweight division as the winner was expected to get a title shot. In the first round, however, ‘T-City’ dislocated his shoulder and the fight was stopped. Since then, Ortega has dealt with a couple more injuries as he revealed he’s had multiple surgeries during the time off, and not just on his shoulder.

Cole Shelton - February 14, 2024

Israel Adesanya is ready to return to the Octagon according to his head coach Eugene Bareman. Following Adesanya’s decision loss to Sean Strickland to lose his middleweight title he said he would be taking some time off. The former champ had been one of the most active champions in the UFC, so Adesanya said he would be taking time off as he wanted time off to refresh his mind.

Josh Evanoff - February 14, 2024

Reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is down to fight at UFC 300 in April. ‘The Great’ is currently slated to return to the cage this Saturday night at UFC 298. Back for the first time since a knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in October, Alexander Volkanovski is back at featherweight. This time around, he will look to defend his gold against the rising undefeated phenom, Ilia Topuria.

Josh Evanoff - February 14, 2024

Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva will return to fight fellow UFC veteran Juan Espino next month. The Brazilian has had an utterly brutal last few years. Antonio Silva was famously released from the UFC after dropping four of his last five fights, losing to the likes of Frank Mir and Mark Hunt. Since his release in 2016, the heavyweight has lost five straight fights inside the cage.

Josh Evanoff - February 14, 2024

Paige VanZant is back in the fighting world, but it’s not in BKFC. ‘12 Gauge’ has had a strange last few years. Following a loss to Amanda Ribas in July 2020, Paige VanZant decided to part ways with the UFC. Despite offers from Bellator and other companies, she instead opted to sign with the David Feldman-led BKFC organization.

Cole Shelton - February 14, 2024

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has shared his prediction for the UFC 298 co-main event between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. Adesanya has fought both men, defeating Whittaker twice, once by decision and once by knockout, while also beating Costa by knockout. Given his familiarity with both fighters, ‘The Last Stylebender’ seems to have a good idea of how the bout will play out on Saturday night in Anaheim, as he expects Whittaker to wrestle the Brazilian.

Cole Shelton - February 14, 2024

In the main event of UFC 298, the featherweight title is up for grabs as Alexander Volkanovski looks to defend his belt when he takes on Ilia Topuria. Heading into the fight Volkanovski is a slight -128 favorite while the challenger is a +100 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 298. Although Volkanovski is coming off the KO loss at lightweight, but despite the loss and the close odds, the pros are actually unanimous in thinking the Aussie remains the featherweight king on Saturday in Anaheim.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 14, 2024

Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire isn’t exactly gung-ho over PFL’s season format. Freire was invited to the final PFL event of 2023, and he had a staredown with the 2023 featherweight winner Jesus Pineda. While “Pitbull” seemed to be content with the festivities, he isn’t totally sold on what PFL founder Donn Davis is presenting. He recently had some surprising comments on how he feels about the PFL show he attended, as well as the season format.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 14, 2024

The brother of UFC featherweight contender Ilia Topuria has scored a UFC contract. During an interview with ESPN, “El Matador” confirmed that Alexsandre Topuria is indeed a member of the UFC roster. Alexsandre has a pro record of 5-1. His lone defeat came against Ivo Ivanov back in 2015. At the age of 28, Alexsandre is hoping that he has entered the UFC at the perfect time.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 14, 2024

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley thinks Ilia Topuria might be biting off more than he can chew, but he still wants that fight. Topuria will be challenging Alex Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight Championship. The title fight will be headlining UFC 298, which will emanate from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The action will take place this Saturday night.

Harry Kettle - February 14, 2024

Bellator heavyweight king Ryan Bader has given Tom Aspinall some advice regarding his pursuit of an undisputed UFC title fight. For months now, Tom Aspinall has been asking for an undisputed heavyweight championship opportunity. He is the current interim champion, with Jon Jones holding the undisputed gold.

Harry Kettle - February 14, 2024

UFC CEO Dana White has explained why Conor McGregor doesn’t have a fight booked right now. While the upcoming release of Road House is certainly exciting, many fans are more interested in knowing when Conor McGregor will return to the Octagon. After all, it’s been almost three years since we last saw him compete in the cage.

Harry Kettle - February 14, 2024

The new character posters for Road House have been released, including the latest shot of Conor McGregor. Next month, the world premiere of the Road House remake will take place. It features Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor as the stars of the movie, with Conor playing the main antagonist.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 14, 2024

Joshua Pacio is gearing up for a shot at redemption, and it’s happening thousands of miles away from his homeland. At ONE 166: Qatar on March 1, the Filipino superstar challenges Jarred Brooks for the American’s ONE Strawweight MMA World Title in a much-awaited rematch.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 13, 2024

This Friday, February 16, fans across North America are in for a treat. ONE Championship offers another primetime special with ONE Fight Night 19 on Prime Video. The world’s largest martial arts organization will broadcast live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The event features an impressive lineup of Muay Thai and MMA bouts.

Cole Shelton - February 13, 2024

Henry Cejudo will have his longtime coach Eric Albarracin in his corner for his UFC 298 fight against Merab Dvalishvili after all. Cejudo revealed on UFC Countdown that he was parting ways with his longtime coach ahead of his do-or-die fight against Dvalishvili at UFC 298.